Comments: In 2009, Appel was a projectable right-hander from Northern California who slid to the 15th round of the Draft (Tigers) because of signability. It's looking like three years at Stanford will have done him a whole lot of good as he's lining up as a potential frontrunner to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2012.Appel has the complete package of size, stuff and ability to throw strikes. His fastball is a plus pitch now, which sits comfortably in the mid-90s and the scary thing is there might be room for a little bit more as he matures and fills out. The ball explodes out of his hand with a free and easy delivery and his fastball has above-average movement to boot. He's got an outstanding hard slider with late tilt that he can bury down in the strike zone and his circle changeup is at above-average as well, bottoming out when his mechanics are right. He can throw all three for strikes and gets very high marks for his poise and aggressiveness.There are few negatives to Appel's game at this point, though he'll occasionally overthrow his fastball, which elevates it and straightens it out. He'll rush his delivery from time to time. But that's really just nitpicking as Appel profiles as a top of the rotation starter with three above-average to plus out pitches.

Comments: With a bulldog mentality and a body type to match, Alvarez plays the part of a short reliever very well. He has the fastball to go along with it, running it up to 97 mph and sitting comfortably at 95 mph while closing games for Florida Atlantic. Alvarez's secondary stuff isn't quite as good, though his changeup does have some pretty good deception to it. His breaking ball, however, is inconsistent. That, along with his command, will need to improve if he wants to close games at the big league level. Even if Alvarez isn't racking up saves, though, he could have value as a setup man, with that velocity and mound presence too much for teams to ignore in the first couple of rounds of the Draft.

Comments: Almora has played for USA Baseball as much as any player in history. He's played in big situations and shown natural leadership abilities over the years.He's also got many tools to get excited about. He should be an above-avearge hitter at the next level, with an ability to drive the ball to all fields. He'll have above-average power as well and shows it in games now, especially to the pull side. He's a solid average runner and knows what to do on the basepaths. Defensively, he's a plus center fielder with excellent arm strength and range.All of his tools play up because of his plus makeup and work ethic. That combination should have plenty of teams in the first round taking a long look at him.

Comments: On the plus side, Alford has tools galore and the ability to do a lot of exciting things on the baseball field. On the negative, he also has that on the football field and has told teams he won't want to sign if selected. Based on pure, raw tools, Alford has close to or as much upside as anyone on this list. He has a pretty good approach at the plate, with a willingness to take what the pitcher gives him. Alford's strength should generate at least average power down the line. A plus runner, he'll be a basestealer once he learns that craft. The speed helps him in the outfield as well, and he tends to get good reads off the bat. Alford has a football scholarship to Southern Miss, so it will be interesting to see -- especially given the new Draft system in place in terms of spending -- if any team will be willing to give signing him away from the gridiron a shot.